A bittersweet farewell: Local owners of Folsom Bike sell their stores after 13 years in the community

Albert Einstein once said, "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." Those words hold true today for Folsom residents Wilson and Erin Gorrell, who have decided to sell their successful business Folsom Bike and pursue new adventures ahead. "It has been an amazing journey and today marks the beginning of a new chapter," were just a few of the words that the couple known as Folsom's First Family of Cycling included in their announcement last Friday. They shared the news that the Trek Retail Corporation will take on the ownership of both of their stores located in Folsom and El Dorado Hills, as well as their cycling-themed coffee shop known as Folsom Grind. "From the day we first opened the shop, we always had a goal, an exit plan for the distant future," said Erin Gorrell. "Here we are 13 years later and that time has come. It was a combination of timing, along with a buyer that we are very confident in when it comes to continuing to serve and engage with the local community. It's a bittersweet goodbye for us but it's time." The Gorrells' story is well-known in the community. The couple came up with the idea of opening a full-service bike shop in the midst of a recession in 2009 and many thought they had "lost their minds," to leave their everyday jobs to take on such a financially-challenging endeavor. Today, the Folsom community clearly knows, that when this couple accepts a challenge, they do so with success clearly in their sights and a game plan to overcome every hurdle along the way. Today, Folsom Bike is known as the largest locally-owned bike shop in Northern California, right here in Folsom. Folsom Bike began after the Gorrells had lived in the area for several years and felt there was something missing in the community. They strongly believed this heavily-invested cycling community needed a new approach to help take cycling to the next level. Their vision was taking things back to the simplicity of "genuine and exceptional customer service." "We have always made our business all about the people. Cycling is about community," Erin said. "We wanted to provide a community bike shop for all levels of cyclists." With backgrounds and education in business, both Wilson and Erin were confident going into the business that their passion for cycling and community would be successful. They have taken much pride in providing a service to the community that operates as the "Nordstrom of Bike Shops but also like 'Cheers where everyone knows your name'" philosophy. "Our mission has always been to inspire our customers to be passionate about bikes by providing them with the best products in the industry; to have service that stands up to these exceptional products and compliment them with our own passion for bikes," said Erin. "We believe a bike shop should be fun. By creating a fun atmosphere and hiring fun people who are passionate and knowledgeable about cycling." For the Gorrells, building a bike shop that has become a Folsom icon has extended well past the retail services they provide. Since the early beginnings, the couple made cycling a common family activity with their children. They took that love and passion for the sport and introduced it to the community. "Cycling was an important part of our life as a family; it still is. We rode bikes with our kids when they were younger and that is something we wanted to share with others. Doing healthy activities as a family is so important and cycling is a perfect way to do it," said Erin. "We really became engaged with the community to share our passion and that's been the greatest part of this journey." Through the years, the Gorrells have been instrumental in the growth and quality of cycling in Folsom. That includes advocating to get others outside and get healthy together to assisting with the expansion and improvement of Folsom's vast network of first-class trails to helping to bring the national spotlight to the city, such as the Amgen Tour of California, on multiple occasions. "It just made sense to help make this city with first- class trails part of the big rides like Amgen. At the same time, helping those who live here fall in love with cycling like we did was just natural for us," said Erin. "Our events and outside work have never been about selling products or services; it's been about being part of the community." They also have hosted numerous events and "clinics" to help new and experienced riders learn more about cycling, such as their junior mountain bike club. As the Trek Corporation will take over their beloved business Sept. 1, the Gorrells are confident that community engagement will continue to be a top priority for the stores that will soon be known as Trek Bicycle of Folsom and Trek Bicycle of El Dorado Hills. Such events and aspects of the business are much of what attracted the new owners to the business. "Even though it is a corporation, they are very much about being involved in the community; you won't see that change. In fact with their resources, it can grow even more," explained Wilson. "This was very important for us when it came to selling the business. This is the first time they have purchased a coffee shop but that is another important part of the cycling community here. It's a great combination for them." When it comes to the stores' future, the Gorrells made sure that the current staff can remain part of the new operations as they desire. Through the years, Folsom Bike has been known for taking care of its staff that is like a big family, a family that is currently 28 employees strong. "We made sure all of them have their jobs if they want to. That was very important to us as well as Trek," Erin said. "We have always strived to have a great staff and pay them well for what they do. Their knowledge and their love of community will be essential ahead. There will be local management here and plenty of community engagement. It's going to be a great thing." So, what is ahead for the Gorrells after September? First and foremost will be a much-deserved break from working. They plan to split time between their home in Folsom and vacationing in Santa Barbara. They will continue to enjoy cycling and Wilson plans to continue racing in various events. But eventually, some type of new adventure will be on their agenda. "We just really want to focus on taking some time off to start, probably for the rest of the year," said Erin. "Cycling will always be a big part of our personal life and we look forward to seeing what we started with this shop grow even more. After some well- needed time off, we will see what new adventure sparks our interest." As the news of the sale became public in recent days, members of the cycling community have reached out to share their support for the Gorrells and what they have created in Folsom, all of which seem to surround the community aspect of their business. "They came in with ambitious plans and found an excellent location for a bike shop. Besides running a real nice shop for buying bicycles and accessories, as well as repairing bikes, they really helped build a pretty awesome community of cyclists, both old and young," said El Dorado Hills cyclist Jeff Barker. "They have done a great job supporting youth cycling as well as getting more girls and women riding bikes." Libby Conlin is one of the many female cyclists who fell in love with cycling, thanks to the efforts by Folsom Bike, which has its own section and specific programs for female riders. "Erin has always been a positive influence on me and has been very encouraging. We've become good friends over the years and she inspires me to do my best," said Conlin. "She has worked so hard to promote more women getting on bikes and provides the support and encouragement they may need." Through the years, Folsom Bike has fielded many races, numerous riding teams and has sponsored many riders who are riding with the world's elite today. Local resident Ron Shevock has been a long-time supporter and was a member of their very first elite mountain bike team that included Neilson Powless, a Folsom Bike sponsored rider who is presently a top runner in the Tour de France now underway. "Wilson and Erin not only have had the business minds to grow Folsom Bike into a sustainable business but they have the hearts to match. Which shows in the way they've supported the local cycling community in various ways throughout the years," said Shevock. "There is literally no niche within the local riding community that they have not touched in some way and we've all benefited from it." "I've ridden for Folsom Bike since they opened their doors, helped them to put on a few bike races throughout the years in their early days," said Shevock. "I was on their first elite mountain bike race team, which included current Tour de France standout, Neilson Powless. I consider both Erin and Wilson good friends." When asked what they will miss the most as they walk away in September, the Gorrells couldn't name just one thing. However, all of what they will miss the most surround their staff, the community and working together as a family, much of which is well documented on the walls of their coffee shop that are covered with photos of 13 years of memories. "That's tough. There are many things I will miss, " said Erin. "I will miss my staff immensely. They helped make our dream come true and will continue to do so; the community for giving us a chance to prove we truly cared about them and working with my family as we built this business from scratch. It's been such hard work. And of course, I am going to miss the coffee!"